Bowling ball press



y 4, 1963 H. H. POORT 3,089,412

BOWLING BALL PRESS Filed Oct. 21, 1960 J7 W-aa (62 64 INVENTOR. H. HAROID POORT A Tram/5Y United States Patent F 3,089,412 BOWLHJG BALL PRESS Henry Harold Poor-t, Grand Haven, Mich, assignor to Dake Corporation, Grand Haven, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Oct. 21, 1960, Ser. No. 64,092 11 Claims. (Ci. 101-4) This invention relates to a mechanical press, and more particularly to a device for impressing identification marks on bowling balls and the like.

The increased popularity of bowling over the last decade has caused a need for identification on bowling balls due to the large number of balls present at any one time in a bowling alley establishment. A practical way of identifying ones personal bowling ball is by marking a name or initials on the surface of the ball. This marking must be permanent in nature in order to be effective, howover. Also, since the material of which a bowling ball is made is very hard, the device utilized for marking must be capable of impressing such material, and yet be simple and smooth in operation. Since the size of any establishment in which such a marking device is desired will generally not be very large and the volume of business will not justify large expensive marking machines, a suitable marking device must be inexpensive.

The necessity of utilizing entirely different letters for each impression operation further necessitates readily interchangeable and replaceable impressing symbols in the device. These individual replacement letters must be properly oriented to obtain a uniform impression on the spherical surface of the ball.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to solve the above problems. This is accomplished byproviding a device for rapidly and easily identifying bowling balls and the like; which device is relatively inexpensive so that it may be placed in any bowling alley or sport shop; which is simple to operate; with which various identification symbols such as letters may be readily inserted or removed.

It is a further object to provide a bowling ball lettering press which will operate very smoothly under simple manual or power means and will possess minimum frictional resistance and accurate alignment characteristics due to an improved guide bar having plastic sleeves thereon. These and other objects of this invention will be apparent from a scrutiny of the following specification as supplemented by the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the bowling ball press;

FIG. 2 is a partial top View of the press shown in FIG. 1, depicting the drive mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross section through the plane IIII of FIG. 1, showing the letter receiving block and guide bar; and

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the letter receiving block member.

Basically, this invention provides a lettering press for bowling balls and the like, wherein the press includes a ball receiving member mounted on the press frame and a letter impression means mounted above the'ball receiver. The impression means operates through a screw member threadably mounted in the frame so that rotation of the screw causes downward movement of a letter receiving means, such as a block having cavities, to impress identifying marks or letters upon the ball surface. A rotational bearing surface is provided on the base of the screw so that the letter impresser moves vertically but not rota tionally. Rotation of the letter holder is prevented by a guide bar containing plastic sleeves. These plastic sleeves form a bearing surface between side supports of the frame and the guide bar which slides on these side supports. These sleeves also serve to accurately align the letter impression members on the ball by removing all rotational play in the letter holding block.

Refer-ring now more specifically to FIG. 1, numeral 10 represents a lettering press which includes frame 12, bowling ball receiving member 24, mounted at the bottom of the frame, and a letter impression assembly 11 mounted at the top of the frame directly above the bowling ball receiving member 24.

Frame 12 is composed of a base 14, side supports 16 and top cross support 18. The side supports 16 may be a common channel section as shown more particularly in FIG. 3. The base 14 and top cross support 18 may each be formed of two similar and oppositely facing channel members welded or otherwise fixedly attached to the ends of the side supports 16. In FIG. 2 the top cross support 18 is seen as composed of the two oppositely facing channels 20 and 22. The base 14 may be likewise formed. Of course, such a frame structure may be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of this invention.

The bowling ball receiving member is mounted upon the two oppositely facing channel members which form the base 14. This receiving member 24 is a plate having a concave surface 26 in which a bowling ball is to be seated, as shown in plantom by ball B in FIG. 1. lviember 24 is fastened to the base channels by bolts 28, or the like.

Mounted directly above plate 24 is the letter impression device 11. It is mounted on a supporting plate 30 fastened below the two oppositely facing channel members 2t and 22 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Immediately above this plate 30 is a mounting block 49 which threadably receives a screw member '34. Pins 36 pass through both of the oppositely facing channel members 20 and 22 to hold this mounting block firm via flanges 38 above and below each pin on both sides of the mounting block 40. This block 4t} has a central threaded orifice to receive screw member 34. This screw drive means is provided with a crank 42 so that it may be manually rotated to cause up or down movement within the stationary mounting block. If desired, a slow speed motor may be utilized to drive the screw in place of manual crank 42.

At the base of screw 34 a cap member 44 is rotatably fastened. Suitable bearing means 46 may be interspersed between this cap member and the screw member to both hold the cap member up and also provide a freely rotatable coupling. This cap member 44 is fixedly attached to a letter or impression piece receiving and holding block 48. This block is also shown in more detail in FIGS. 3 and 4 and may be'made of any desired metal such as steel. The block 48 is attached to the cap 44 by a suitable strap or plate 5d which may be inserted inside of the two members 44 and 48 and anchored by retaining pins 52 or the like.

Referring now to FIG. 4, it is shown how letter receiv-' ing means 48 isprovided with an insert'54l made of an aluminum alloy or other non-magnetizable material. This insert 54 is fastened to the block 48 by bolts 5'6 or the like. If desired the entire block 48 may be made of a non-magnetizable material so that an insert is not necessary. A series of cavities 58 are provided in the lower surface of this insert block 54 for retaining letter impression members (notshown).- The letter impression members are held in place by button magnets oil or the like mounted at the base of each of the cavities 58 as shown in FIG. 4. Thus letters may be inserted or removed at will veryeasily to provide different identification marks. The lower surface of the letter receiving block and its insert possess a concave surface as shown in FIG. 1 to matchthat of the bowling ball. Since the letters are relatively narrow, the curvature need only be that of one plane. a

Mounted on the back of the letter receiving block 48 is a guide bar 62 as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. This bar may be fastened to block 4-8 by bolts 65 or the like, utilizing spacer 66 as required. Mounted on each end of this guide bar 62 are a set of plastic sleeves 64. These sleeves serve to provide a bearing surface between the guide bar 62 and the rubbing surfaces of the lateral portions 16. They also take up any rotational play which would otherwise exist between the guide bar and the lateral portions of the press. This facilitates effortless and accurate oper- 'ation of the impression press to enhance its use in bowling alleys. The material used for these sleeves may be a vinyl plastic such as polyvinyl chloride, a nylon material, polytetrafluoroethylene or other known plastic materials having suitable bearing properties.

Operation In operation, the crank 42 is rotated to put the screw 34 and the letter receiving block 48 at their uppermost position. The bowling ball, B shown in phantom, is then placed in the cavity 26 of the plate 24 on base 14. The desired letter impression members are then placed into cavities 58 of the letter receiving block insert 54. If the desired number of letters cannot be fitted into the cavities provided, a different insert block 54 may be substituted for the one presently utilized by removing bolts 56. The letter impression members contain protruding negatives of the symbol or letter to be impressed upon the ball. The button magnets 60 retain the letter or symbol impression members in place during the forming step. After these letters are located, crank 42 is rotated to move screw 34 downwardly via the matching threads on screw 34- and in the orifice mounting block 40. This rotative movement of screw 34 tends to rotate cap 44, letter receiving block 48, and guide bar 62 also. Due to the bearing surface 46 between the cap and the screw, however, and due to the guide bar 62 which bears upon the lateral portions 16, the parts below cap 44 merely move in a downwardly direction without rotating. The plastic sleeves 64 facilitate this freely flowing downward movement due to the lack of frictional contact. As the letter receiving block 48 moves downwardly the protruding portions of the letter forming or impression members in cavities 58 contact the surface of the bowling ball. The concave surface of the lower portion of the letter receiving block and its insert block facilitate simultaneous contact of all of the protruding portions on the several letters. A further partial turn on crank 42 forces the letter impression members into the surface of the bowling ball to provide permanent identification marks. The plastic sleeves on the guide bar facilitate very accurate alignment of the identifying symbols on the bowling ball since they prevent any play which would be normally expected in this type of mechanism. If desired, an ink may be placed on the protruding letter negatives to supply coloring for even easier identification.

Thus, it can be seen that a relatively inexpensive device for easily and accurately providing identifying means on a bowling ball and the like has been provided. Certain obvious modifications will appear to those having skill in the art when studying the above described invention. These obvious and equivalent modifications are deemed to be part of this invention which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the structure defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a press, the combination of a frame; a ball receiving member on the base of said frame; a vertical drive means mounted on said frame above said ball receiving member; an impression-letter receiving member rotatably mounted on the base of said drive means and above said ball receiving member; and a guide member extending laterally of said letter receiving member and contacting portions of said frame to prevent rotation of said letter receiving member, said guide member having plastic sleeves covering at least portions of said guide member contacting portions of said frame to act as a bearing and an aligning means.

2. In a press, the combination of a frame; a ball receiving member on the base of said frame; a vertical screw drive means threadably mounted on said frame above said ball receiving member; an impression-letter receiving member rotatably mounted on the base of said screw drive means and above said ball receiving member; and a guide member extending laterally of said letter receiving member and contacting portions of said frame to prevent rotation of said letter receiving member, said guide member having plastic sleeves covering at least portions of said guide member contacting portions of said frame to act as a bearing and an aligning means.

3. In a lettering press, the combination of a frame; a ball receiving member on the base of said frame; a vertical screw drive means threadably mounted on said frame above said ball receiving member; an impression-piece holding member rotatably mounted on the base of said screw, said holding member having a concave lower surface to accommodate a ball; cavity means in said concave lower surface capable of receiving impression pieces; a guide member extending laterally of said impression-piece holding member and contacting portions of said frame to prevent rotation of said holding member with said screw drive means; and a plastic sleeve mounted on each end of said guide member to provide a bearing surface between said guide member and said frame contacting portions and to accurately align said holding member with said ball.

4. In a bowling ball lettering press, the combination of a frame; a ball receiving member on the base of said frame; a vertical screw drive means threadably mounted on said frame above said ball receiving member; a letter holding member rotatably mounted on the base of said screw; cavity means in said letter holding member adjacent the lower surface thereof for receiving magnetizable letter impression members; magnetic means mounted in said letter holding member for retaining letter impression members in said cavity means; a guide member extending laterally of said letter holding member and contacting portions of said frame to prevent rotation of said letter holding member with said screw drive means; and a plastic sleeve mounted on each end of said guide member to provide a bearing surface and to align said letter holding member with said ball receiving member.

5. In a bowling ball lettering press, the combination of a frame; said frame having a base, side supports mounted on said base and extending upwardly therefrom, and a top cross support spaced from said base and extending between said side supports; a ball receiving member on said base; a screw shaft threadably mounted in said top support so that it may move vertically upon rotation thereof; a letter holding member rotatably mounted on the base of said screw shaft; said letter holding member having a concave lower surface to accommodate a bowling ball; a plurality of cavities in said receiving member adjacent said concave surface and capable of receiving magnetizable letter impression members; magnet means mounted in said letter holding member adjacent said cavities for retaining letter impression members in said cavities; a guide member mounted on and extending laterally from both sides of said letter holding member and overlapping said side supports of said frame; and a plastic sleeve mounted on each of said guide members ad acent said side supports to provide a bearing surface between said guide member and said side supports of said frame and to accurately align said letter holding member with said ball receiving member.

6. A bowling ball lettering press comprising the combination of a frame; said frame having a base, side supports extending upwardly from said base, and a top cross support extending between said side supports; a ball receiving member on said base; a screw shaft threadably mounted in said top support so that it may move vertically upon rotation thereof," a letter receiving and holding member rotatably mounted on the base of said screw; said letter receiving member including an insert on the lower surface thereof; said insert having a concave lower surface to accommodate a bowling ball; at least one cavity in said insert for receiving letter impression members; magnetic means mounted in said insert for retaining letter impression members in said cavity; a guide member mounted on and extending laterally from both sides of said letter receiving member and overlapping said side supports of said frame; and a plastic sleeve mounted on each end of said guide member to provide a bearing surface between said guide member and said side supports of said frame and to accurately align said letter receiving member with said ball receiving means.

7. A bowling ball letter impression press comprising the combination of a frame; said frame having a base, side supports mounted on said base and extending upwardly therefrom, and a top cross support extending between and adjacent the upper ends of said side supports; a plate having a concave upper surface mounted on said base for receiving a bowling ball; a screw shaft threadably mounted in said top support so that it may move vertically up and down upon rotation thereof; a crank mounted on the top of said screw; a letter receiving member rotatably mounted on the base of said screw; said letter receiving member having a concave lower surface to accommodate a bowling ball; a plurality of cavities in said receiving member adjacent said concave surface and capable of receiving magnetizable letter impression members; a plurality of button magnets mounted in the walls of said cavities for retaining letter impression members in said cavities; a guide member mounted on and extending laterally from both sides of said letter receiving member and overlapping said side supports of said frame; and a plastic sleeve mounted on each end of said guide member to provide a bearing surface between said guide member and said side supports of said frame and to accurately align said letter receiving member with said bowling ball receiving means.

8. In a press, the combination of a frame; a ball receiving member on said frame; a screw drive means mounted on said frame and movable alternately toward and away from said ball receiving member; an impression letter receiving member rotatably mounted on the end of said drive means toward said ball receiving member; and a guide member extending from said letter receiving member and contacting portions of said frame to prevent rotation of said letter receiving member with actuation of said drive means; said guide member having low friction bearing surfaces on at least the portions of said guide member contacting portions of saidvframe to act as a bearing and an aligning means.

9. In a press, the combination of a frame; a ball receiving member on said frame; a screw drive means mounted on said frame and movable alternately toward and away from said ball receiving member; an impression letter receiving member rotatably mounted on the end of said drive means toward said ball receiving member; and a guide member extending transversely away from said letter receiving member and contacting portions of said frame to prevent rotation of said letter receiving member with actuation of said drive means; and said guide member having low friction bearing sleeves covering at least the portions of said guide member contacting portions of said frame to act as a bearing and an aligning means.

10. In a press, the combination of a frame; a ball receiving member on said frame; a rotational drive means mounted on said frame and movable alternately toward and away from said ball receiving member; an impression letter receiving member rotatably mounted on the end of said drive means toward said ball receiving member; and a guide member extending away from said letter receiving member and contacting portions of said frame to prevent rotation of said letter receiving member with actuation of said drive means; said guide member having low-friction, slightly-resilient bearing surfaces covering at least the portions of said guide member contacting portions of said frame to act as a bearing and an aligning means.

11. In a press, the combination of a frame; a ball receiving member on the base of said frame; a vertical screw drive means mounted on said frame above said ball receiving member; an impression letter receiving member rotatably mounted on the base of said drive means and above said ball receiving member; and a guide member extending laterally of said letter receiving member and contacting portions of said frame to prevent rotation of said letter receiving member, said guide member having low-friction, slightly-resilient bearing surfaces on at least portions of said guide member contacting portions of said frame to act as a bearing and an aligning means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

4. IN A BOWLING BALL LETTERING PRESS, THE COMBINATION OF A FRAME; A BALL RECEIVING MEMBER ON THE BASE OF SAID FRAME; A VERTICAL SCREW DRIVE MEANS THREADABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME ABOVE SAID BALL RECEIVING MEMBER; A LETTER HOLDING MEMBER ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THE BASE OF SAID SCREW; CAVITY MEANS IN SAID LETTER HOLDING MEMBER ADJACENT THE LOWER SURFACE THEREOF FOR RECEIVING MAGNETIZABLE LETTER IMPRESSION MEMBERS; MAGNETIC MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID LETTER HOLDING MEMBER FOR RETAINING LETTER IMPRESSION MEMBERS IN SAID CAVITY MEANS; A GUIDE MEMBER EXTENDING LATERALLY OF SAID LETTER HOLDING MEMBER AND CONTACTING PORTIONS OF SAID FRAME TO PREVENT ROTATION OF SAID LETTER HOLDING MEMBER WITH SAID SCREW DRIVE MEANS; AND A PLASTIC SLEEVE MOUNTED ON EACH END OF SAID GUIDE MEMBER TO PROVIDE A BEARING SURFACE AND TO ALIGN SAID LETTER HOLDING MEMBER WITH SAID BALL RECEIVING MEMBER. 